Deep cuts proposed for Colorado schools

Even with $126 million in cuts being proposed for Colorado’s k-12 schools, the state’s education funding is still increasing – as is required by state statute.

Amendment 23, passed by voters in 2000, demands every year the state’s funding for education increases. And even under Tuesday’s horrific budget proposal for fiscal year 2009-10, money for K-12 schools increases – just not as much as initially planned.

In fiscal year 2008-09, the state appropriated $3.4 billion for education. Ritter’s proposal for 2009-10 recommends $3.5 billion – just a hair less (if a hair is worth $126 million) than the $3.6 billion initially requested.

Most of the cut, or $70 million, comes from a modification in how the state determines cost of living, rolling that amount back to levels from fiscal year 2000-01. The cuts affect school districts differently, based on their cost of living.

Under the formula, Jefferson County and Denver – the state’s two largest districts – lose about $7 million apiece. Cherry Creek would lose $4.3 million and Douglas County would miss almost $5 million.

New Denver superintendent Tom Boasberg said Tuesday the possible cuts outline the importance for the district to work out a deal to merge its stand-alone retirement system with the state’s retirement system. Denver loses about $700 per student in retirement costs compared to the rest of the state that operates under the Public Employees Retirement Association or PERA, Boasberg said.

“We are extremely concerned about the budget cuts and their effect on our students,” Boasberg said. “It only further heightens our concern about accomplishing the PERA merger to put us on more equal financial footing with other school district.”

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